This is the moment a herd of endangered wild horses is seen running through the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone as they thrive in nature without human interference.
The images were shared on social media by netizen ‘Denis Kopylov’ from the northern Ukrainian capital Kiev and the footage shows a herd of rare and endangered Przewalski’s horses, also called the Mongolian wild horse (Equus przewalskii or Equus ferus przewalskii).
Video Credit: CEN/@denis.kopylov.7
The horses, which originate from the central Asian steppes and were once extinct in the wild, were introduced in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in 1998. They are listed as endangered on the IUCN’s Red List.
With the absence of human activity in the exclusion zone, the horses, named after Russian explorer Nikolaj Przewalski, are believed to be increasing in population.
Netizen ‘Tetiana Shatz’ said: “They are so beautiful.”
‘Edo Dega’ commented: “Looks wonderful.”
The region serves as a deserted de facto nature reserve after the nuclear disaster of April 1986 when around 49,000 people were evacuated, mainly from the city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, a ghost town today.
The exclusion zone was later increased to a 30-kilometre (19-mile) radius and a further 68,000 people were evacuated from the wider area.
Earlier this year, the nuclear disaster was dramatised in the hit miniseries ‘Chernobyl’ starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson.
The show depicted some of the lesser known stories of the disaster, including the efforts of the firefighters who were the first responders on the scene and a team of miners who dug a critical tunnel under Reactor 4 which exploded during a safety test.
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Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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